According to research from Symphony IRI, consumers have adopted a much more proactive approach to health and wellness in recent years, with over half of consumers trying to eat food that helps prevent or manage health problems. Brands across multiple healthy living categories have responded to this trend by promoting healthier options, and as a result, those categories have seen exceptional growth over the past few years. Innovation in healthier foods and other healthy living products are thriving, but we wanted to understand how women wanted to be spoken to when it comes to products that promote a healthy lifestyle. As part of the POPSUGAR Insights 2014 Healthy Living Report, we asked women for their opinions on the most effective ways that brands can communicate that they support a healthy lifestyle.

Overall, women see trial as an extremely effective marketing strategy to help test the product benefits and see if they suit their definition of fitting into a healthy lifestyle. In total, 71% of women said that a brand “offering coupons to try new products” was the most effective strategy, 46% felt that connecting the brand to a subject matter expert and “offering advice” was the most effective strategy, and 26% felt that “offering exclusive content” was the most effective strategy a brand could pursue. While less specific, 65% of women selected “offer useful information” as the most effective communication strategy, perhaps reflecting that for brands that live within the healthy living space, continually speaking to the product benefits and showing how the product fits seamlessly into a woman’s life is most effective at establishing trust and credibility.